Unanswered Questions that Were Never Asked
by Suffering Angel
Summary: Two boys wake up one morning, only to find their one most important person - gone.


I don't own Kingdom Hearts. That's owned by Disney and brought to life by Square Enix.

_**Unanswered Questions that Were Never Asked**_

Why.  
The simplest of questions; the hardest of answers.  
Why.

It was all the same just the other day, just that short while ago.

Why.  
All he did was wake up, only to realize - everything changed.  
Why.  
A once lively house stood empty, abandoned. Not a soul was in sight.  
Why.  
He was good; he behaved. He never wanted any of it to come to pass. Why...  
Why did he have to lose his best friend like that?

The adults were talking to him, trying to sooth him. Their voices were soft and warm, their hands gentle as they raked through his hair. So much attention, so much affection, and yet he found himself struggling with the things that actually mattered.  
Big words. Big meanings, belittled by the adults when conveyed to a boy.  
Circumstances; reluctance; fate, and yet - choices.  
Big words to cover up the grownups' helplessness as they failed to explain to the boy the thing seemingly so simple it bordered idiotic... and yet, he knew, as his mother bit her lip and his father turned away that he had nothing more to look for there. He turned away, unheeding the woman's calls as he let pure distress guide him.

He was not to find it there, the answer he dreaded the most.

Why did it have to happen? Why was the house left empty? Why would no one be honest about it? Why... why did he have to be left behind?

Why did Naminé have to go away?!

–

He had no idea how long he had been there. He barely knew where he ended up at, least of all when. He felt somewhat safer there, a tad more secure. When he was there, he could tell himself it was all just a bad dream, that none of it was real... that once he left, he'd see her there, have her there... and the mere thought that he'd be proved wrong kept him paralyzed, unable to move a single inch from his spot. He was curled up, shivering, hidden behind the massive rock with his face scribbled on it. No one could see him there, in that place secret to everyone but the four of them... not even if they knew where to look...

Which is why in retrospective later on he would come to realize he should've expected to be found.

Sora never _could_ beat Riku up at hide and seek, after all...

The older boy dusted his pants as he stood up from the floor and slowly made his way inside the cave. He was well aware of the boy huddled behind the rock, who only curled up further once he realized he had company. Riku didn't even need to hear his snivels and hiccups; there was no other place Sora would be at, Riku knew, much like he himself could think of nowhere else to be at.

The reasons, however, were hardly alike for the two boys.

Sora had no where else to go to.

Riku couldn't afford to be anywhere else.

He knew it was pointless. He's tried it before, countless times. It never budged; he doubted it would then.

None of it mattered though as he placed his small hands against the polished wood of the door decorating the farthest wall of the cave. He _had_ to make it work this time, had to make that door budge...

He had to open that path leading outside of their world.

He couldn't afford to fail this time, he hissed at himself as he pulled harder, fingers sliding against smooth wood. Had to succeed that time, had to pull the thing open.

It was his only choice – _their_ only choice...

It only made the cry that left his mouth that much more bitter as his grip finally slipped and he tripped, falling to the floor.

The boy hiding behind the rock uncurled ever so lightly and glanced at his best friend. He was still slumped there where he fell, his small fists clenched, his shoulders – shaking.

Not this time. Not this time, of all times, Riku hissed at himself as he spat at his hands and reached for the door again.

He saw it then, the Keyhole... he saw their way out then! He had to, he growled as he pulled. He had to... he had to, he _had to_! He had-

His shout echoing across the cave spoke volumes of his frustration and rage as he was once again flung backwards.

Once again... he couldn't do it. Big surprise there, he concluded with a bitter smile as he stared angrily at the door. Once again – he failed.

"Ri-" Sora never dared finishing calling out his name as Riku's fist came slamming against the hard surface.

He couldn't do it. When it was most important, when failure wasn't an option. He failed, then of all times, and yet all he could do as he slammed his fist again against the door was ask 'why'. _Demand_ – why.

Why wasn't he good enough to go after her.

His fist met the door again.

Why did she have to go away without him… them… him…

Slam.

Why she had to break all of their promises…

There was the added sound of a crack accompanying the rattling of wood.

Why was he forced to stay behind?!

The next time his fist came down, he was quite surprised to have it meet not the cold, hard surface. It took a while for his hand – having gone numb a while ago – to finally register the feel of warmth and softness and that someone was holding his hand back from suffering further abuse. His eyes slowly cracked open, thus letting the final teardrops fall down his cheeks. A tiny forever later, and he finally looked up to just barely manage to look at Sora's turned away eyes.

The younger boy was holding onto his best friend's hand as though for dear life, his whole body trembling even worse than Riku's. Seeing his condition made Riku's shoulders slump lightly as his rage ebbed away, and he could only look away from Sora's pathetic self. Puffy eyes, red nose, moist cheeks… He knew too well it was the closest he had gotten all day to staring at the mirror.

They remained unmoving for a long while, neither holding on properly nor pulling away. Both felt as though once they would, all they had left will whither away as well. Eventually, Riku managed to feel his hand enough to clench his fist further, an act which made Sora blink at him, confusion and concern shining in his blue eyes. Several failed attempts and a couple of gulps later, Riku finally managed to voice the words to accompany his action.

"Let's get off this rock." He managed to hiss, his voice hoarse and rasped. The shock provided Sora with the incentive to finally pull away, at least enough for Riku to be able to push himself up slowly. "Our adventure… we'll go on it, as soon as we can. We'll work hard, and we'll get ready for it, and as soon as we can we'll ditch this place, get out of here, we'll go away… we'll go after her!" He half shouted, yet past the initial surprise, Sora could only stare intently at his friend's face and hold a bit tighter onto his hand. The next moment his face was painted with sadness, as now that Riku was there, the realization, no, the mere possibility he dreaded so much didn't seem so frightening, didn't seem so terrifying... didn't seem surreal enough to just maybe be true.

"What if…" He tried, and had to wince at how tense Riku became. "What if… she doesn't _want_ us to-" He couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Do you believe that?" Riku demanded with his voice distant and somewhat detached. He refrained from looking at Sora who could only look down as he thought it over, again, and again. To think that Naminé would leave just like that… to think that she wouldn't want them to follow… to think she wanted to leave in the first place…

After everything they promised her…

Determination settled in over Sora's features. "I don't..." He concluded softly before repeating it, louder and clearer this time. "I don't believe it."

He was rewarded with a tiny snicker and an awkward smile as Riku pushed himself up to sit back on his ankles, and finally brought himself to look at his friend. "Then it's settled. As soon as we can… we're out of here." With or without that stupid door opening, he decided as he turned to glare at the slab of wood holding him back from his goals.

A reaffirming nod from Sora later and Riku let himself look away. Whatever pretense of enthusiasm he managed to gather for Sora's sake disappeared instantly.

"This world Naminé isn't a part of… I don't care for it anymore."

They lived up to their promise, even if it took them a few years. Knowing why they originally wanted to leave, however, and knowing what they ended up losing along the way… Sora gritted his teeth as he stared at the Paopu shaped amulet his fingers were holding onto tightly to the point his knuckles turned white. The true reason why they wanted to leave… what they were really looking for in their big, dreamt-about 'adventure'…

The one thing that mattered the most, that one person that meant the most, that without her their whole world didn't seem to matter anymore…

Never again, the boy calling himself Riku swore to himself as he stared at the Paopu shaped charm held tightly in his gloved hand. Never again will he forget those promises, those precious oaths, those priceless bonds. Never again will he let that fragile, delicate, angelic girl sitting on the other end of the table out of his sight. Not after everything he's been through to find her, not after everything he had promised to give up for her.

Never again.

And it hardly mattered it was all no less a lie than him being who he believed himself to be was.


End file.
